Transcript

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>> We will not surrender. The defiant front cover from Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet, a day after police detained its editor and top brass. But Reuters Turkey bureau chief Nicholas Tattersall says the writing might be on the wall.>> There was a demonstration by several dozen supporters of the newspaper overnight who slept outside of its offices in Istanbul.

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Looked over by Turkish police, there have been riot police there when the arrests were made. There's also been a defiant tone from Turkish Prime Minister rejecting criticism from the European Union of the arrests. And saying Turkey will not accept Europe's red lines on press freedom.>> The opposition newspaper isn't the first to fall foul of the Turkish government.

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It's unlikely to be the last. A crackdown since the failed military coup has seen Turkey sack or suspend more than 110,000 people. Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan's purge targeting the military, press, civil service and judiciary. His government say they're going after followers of Fethullah Gulen, the US-based cleric blamed for the failed coup.

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But it's also being coupled with a more combative foreign policy.>> Well, this all comes at a time when Turkey is conducting a military incursion in Syria to push Islamic state, and Kurdish militants, what it sees as Kurdish militants, away from its border. And at the time when it has repeatedly warned that it won't hesitate to carry out military operations in Iraq if it sees the need to do so.

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>> On Tuesday, Turkey's Defense Ministry said a military deployment was taking place near the Iraqi border, prompted by developments within its war-torn neighbor. For now troops remain on Turkish soil, but armed with a worrying caveat. Turkey reiterating they have no obligation to stay there.